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First book in my 'year' is really hitting me in the gut!

I know, I'm only on page 54...I've had a week, but I've been doing other things--making Christmas bags and tags, a stocking for Lukka (ok, if it looks a bit weird, it was my first 'go' at something other than squares...and I ran out of fabric) but just sitting on the couch I am aghast at what Barbara Kingsolver and her husband Steven Hopp has to say about our food. In an insert essay titled, "The Strange Case of Percy Schmeiser", Hopp writes, "In 2006 Congress passed the National Uniformity for Food Act, which would eliminate more than two hundred state-initiated food safety and labeling laws that differ from federal ones. Thus, the weakest consumer protections would prevail (but they're uniformly weak!). Here's a clue about who really benefits from this bill: it's endorsed by the American Frozen Food Institute, ConAgra, Cargill, Dean Foods, Hormel, and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. It's opposed by the Consumers Union, the Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Center for Food Safety, and thirty-nine state attorney generals" (51, emphasis in original; bold is mine).

Wow...Open Harvest co-op is looking better and better all the time. I was recently talking to an aquaintance who is a LaLecheLeague leader and she told me that all of the hormones (mostly estrogen--the girlyone for those of you who don't know) pumped into dairy milk one buys at the supermarket has tons of reprocussions for nursing moms, a few to mention are: milk sensitivity (can't digest it), overproduction, weight gain; even seeing signs of how all this effects women later in their life, i.e. breast cancer. Who knew all of these things go into our food? I'm worried about saving a few bucks on raspberries and debate whether I should spend the $4 at the Farmers Market or $2.97 at the grocery store. All I can say is I can't wait 'til May rolls around and the locals open up shop.

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